The Flame Returns
by ladymars
Summary: After Renamon's successful Digivolution to Sakuyamon, she runs into a few not-so friends from her past and she prove that she was destined for greatness.


The Flame Returns

Lady Mars

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon nor am I making any cash off of this escapade. To really understand this fic, you'll have to read 'Destined for Greatness,' but it's not necessary.

***

The tamers slowly ambled through the forestial area of the Digital world. Henry and Takato were in the lead with Guilomon and Terriermon following closely behind them. Behind them were Jeri, Susie, Kazu, Kenta, Ryo, Leomon, Guardramon, Marineangimon, Monodramon, and Lopmon. Rika walked some ways back from them with Renamon and Calumon some ways behind her. Calumon was babbling incoherently to Renamon, driving the fox digimon crazy. Renamon was no longer paying attention to the babbling puffball. _'Does he EVER turn off?'_ Renamon thought. 

"And then there were these ducks," Calumon said. _'AGAIN with the ducks?'_ She glared at the white ball of energy. _'Does he EVER talk about anything BESIDES ducks?'_ "And I really don't know what I did, but these ducks, they started chasing me all around the park and…"

"ENOUGH WITH THE BLASTER DUCKS!" Renamon bellowed. The entire troop stopped and stared at her. "WHAT!? HE'S BEEN BABBLING ABOUT THE SAME FUCKING DUCKS For the last…" They continued to stare at her. "Oh never mind!" She stormed off into the trees. Calumon shrugged and walked up to Rika; the others started off again. 

"ANWAY," Calumon started. "There were these ducks…" Rika rolled her eyes. _'It's going to be a LONG afternoon,'_ she thought. 

***

Renamon trudged through the forest, peeved. _'Why me?'_ she thought. _'Why does it always have to be me? Why do they always put all the blame on me? I was better off on my OWN!' _ She kicked a near by tree. A group of yellow puffballs fell out of the tree. Renamon kept walking, the objects following her. _'Oh now what?'_ she thought at hearing the noise. _'I sure hope it isn't that piece of..'_ She turned to see the source of the noise; her face dropped. 

"Oh dear god… It's worse than the puffball…" she mumbled. Behind her tailed eight Pokomon. 

"IT IS YOU!" one squealed. Renamon blanched.

"What?"

"YOU! THE FIRST ONE TO BE KICKED OUT OF OUR PACK!" _'So I'm known for being a weirdo. Fabulous.'_

"What do you want?"

"We got separated and.."

"If you think I'M helping you, you're nuts." She walked off.

"But, but, but it's getting dark and, and, and.." One began to cry. _'Shit.'_

"FINE! I'LL HELP YOU FIND THEM IN THE MORNING! Let's just get back to my camp first."

"YEAH!" _'That's IF I CAN find them.'_

***

Rika sat under a large tree at the edge of the camp, watching the goings on of the others. _'Why can't Renamon and I be like them?'_ she thought. _'Why are we so different from all of the others? Why can't we just be normal for once?' _ She sighed. Henry walked up to her.

"Do you think she's coming back?" he asked. Rika looked up. Henry stood above her with Terriermon around his shoulders.

"I don't know," she mumbled. "I hope she does." Henry sat down next to her. "I think she'll be able to take care of herself, but I'm still worried." Henry reeled.

"YOU? WORRIED?" Rika glared at him. "Sorry. Your just not the type of person I'd imagine being worried about something." Rika sighed.

"It's ok. I mean, even though I don't show it too well, I DO care for her…" Terriermon hopped off of Henry's shoulder. 

"Momentai Rika," he said, looking at her. "She'll come back in good time." 

"Thanks," she mumbled. "It know she will, but there's something about this place that is REALLY unnerving. " Henry looked at her. He was about to speak again, but Renamon broke through the bushes. 

"LOOK YOU PESTS," she growled. "I SAID YOU COULD FOLLOW ME, NOT CLING TO ME!" She walked across the campsite, shucking Pokomon in the process. For each one of the creatures she dropped, another latched itself onto her somewhere else. "LOOK! GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!" She dropped another one. "IF YOU DON'T, I'M GOING TO DROP KICK YOU ACROSS THE DIGITAL WORLD!" The Pokomon released her instantly and stared as she made her way over to Henry and Rika. 

"What exactly are those things?" Rika asked as Renamon approached. 

"Miniature walking hell," Renamon replied, sitting next to Rika.

"Miniature walking hell?" Henry echoed.

"They're like Calumon," Renamon replied. "But much more stupid, annoying, and clingy."

"Sweet Jesus, we're in trouble."

"That's an understatement. If there's one missing come day-break, I had nothing to do with it." Renamon slowly arose and climbed into the tree.

"Is that a reassuring statement?" Henry asked.

"I REALLY don't think so. I wouldn't stop her though," Rika replied.

"Why do you say that?"

"Do YOU want to be drop-kicked across the digital world by Renamon?"

"Not really."

"Me either."

***

Come daybreak, the troop marched on in the same fashion of the day before, but with Calumon and the Pokomon bringing up the rear. _'I'm going to kill them,' _Renamon thought. _'And there's nothing anyone can do to stop me. I swear…All of them…GONE. Stop thinking like that, you'd never have the guts to do that in BROAD daylight…But by night…'_ Renamon continued to plot the devious end of the Pokomon for a few more minutes. The troop continued on, not really paying much attention to the surroundings. Renamon was continuing her plot until she heard a rustling in the bushes and abruptly stopped. Calumon proceeded to plow into the legs of the fox. 

"Now what you have to go and do that for?" he questioned. She waved at him, trying to silence the puffball. By now, Rika had stopped to see what was holding the rest of them up. 

"Renamon?" she questioned; the fox didn't reply. "Renamon?" By now, the front end of the crew had stopped. "Renamon?!"

"I know you're there," she hissed "Come out and face me." Out of the brush stepped three more Renamon. "Oh dear god.."

"Look, we don't mean any harm," one said. "We just want the.."

"TAKE THEM!" Renamon shouted. "I don't want the blasted things anymore!" She started chucking the Pokomon to the Renamon who were standing in the brush. "Take them and be on your way!" The Renamon picked up the Pokomon and disappeared back into the brush. Henry and Takato exchanged confused glances at each other and they went on walking. Renamon sighed. _'One pest down, one pest to go.'_

***

The three Renamon exchanged glances at each other as they walked along. 

"Do you think we should tell her?" one asked. 

"We should, Akai," another replied. "But she's not going to take it well." The others nodded and they carried on. After they arrived back to where the rest of the pack rested, they went seeking their leader.

"Sasha," Akai whispered. The Taomon turned to her. "She's back." The Taomon stared at her.

"Are you sure?" she questioned. Akai nodded. "Well then, we shall have to do something about this." The Taomon disappeared into the forest. Akai sighed. _'I hope she comes out of this one alive,'_ she thought. _'That girl seems a lot stronger than when she got kicked out.'_

***

Renamon sat at the edge of the campsite, her back facing the group. _'Why do things like this always happen to me?'_ she thought. _'Now that they've seen me, they're going to go back and tell Sasha and she's going to come after me, endangering everyone here.'_ She turned to look at the Tamers and the other Digimon. _'There's only one way to prevent that and I don't want to do it, but there is no other way.'_ She slowly got up and took one more look at the group before disappearing into the forest. Terriermon watched her slid into the trees, curiously. _'I wonder where she's off to,'_ he thought.

***

Renamon dashed through the forest as fast as she could run. _'I have to get away from the others before Sasha gets here. Once she finds me, all hell is going to break loose.'_ She continued to run as if the devil was on her tail. She ran as hard and as far as she could until she collapsed at a small stream, exhausted.

"I see you're still running after all of this time." Renamon looked up to see the one thing she didn't want to see. Above her stood a Taomon, the one Taomon she had grown to hate after all of the years of her life. "You never did learn, did you?" Renamon stared at her.

"I DID learn, it is YOU who didn't," she spat back. 

"I didn't and you did? If you did, why did you come back then, hmm? If you did learn, you would have stayed where you CAME FROM!" She went to kick Renamon, but she was all ready on her feet and backing away from her. 

"I had to come back, but I figure while I'm here, I might as well take care of some unfinished business." The pair started to circle, preparing to fight.

***

Rika stood by the fire, looking around, worried. _'Now where did she go?'_ She continued to scan the area.

"Is something wrong?" Rika whirled around to come face to face with Henry. 

"Yeah," she replied, continuing her search. "Have you seen Renamon?" Henry shook his head.

"I haven't seen her for quite some time now." 

"Shit, I wonder where she could be.." Terriermon walked up to the pair. 

"I saw her run off into the forest some time ago," he mumbled.

"You did? Which way did she go?" Before he could reply, a shriek shook the area. Rika dashed off in the direction that the sound was coming from. The others watched the girl for a moment, before tearing off after her. Rika ran as fast as she could to reach Renamon; when she got there, she didn't like the scene in front of her. 

***

Renamon shook her head to try to clear it. _'This whole battle I've been on the receiving end. The only way for me to win this is if I could digivole, but Rika..'_ She shook her head again and rolled to the side to dodge Sasha's next blow. She slowly got back up to her feet. Her blood mingled with the dirk in her fur. _'This doesn't look good.'_ Sasha grinned evilly at her.

"See, all efforts to defeat me are futile. As I always said, You'll never be anything more than a meal for some hungry Kuwagamon!" 

"Renamon?" Rika called.

"Rika?" Renamon mumbled. The girl appeared out of the bushes. The Taomon turned to stare at the girl. 

"What is this crap?" She turned back to Renamon. "Is this the crap that has made you so WEAK?" Renamon bristled.

"How dare you call her crap." She wasn't happy at the last statement. "No one, BUT NO ONE CALLS MY TAMER CRAP!" She started to glow and then a flash of light shook through the area. When the light died down, an angered Kyuubimon stood in front of Sasha. Sasha laughed at her.

"If you think that a beast like that can defeat me, you are DEAD WRONG." She took a swing at Kyuubimon, but she easily dodged the blow. She turned to look at Rika. Rika stared at her partner and slowly pulled out a blue card and nodded her agreement. The girl held her D-Arc in the palm of her hand.

"You want a fight? You'll get one," Kyuubimon hissed. 

"DIGI-MODIFY!" Rika swiped the blue card through the device. "DIGIVOLUTION ACTIVATE!" The familiar glow enveloped Kyuubimon as she digivolved again. The newly emerged Taomon stared back at her adversary. 

"So, now are you ready for a fair fight?"

"Fair?" Sasha hissed back. "This fight will never be fair. I WILL ALWAYS BE STRONGER THAT YOU!" Sasha charged at Taomon, but she glided out of the way. She stared back at Sasha.

"For years your torment has been haunting me and now, now you shall pay for all of the anguish you have caused me!" She slowly raised her arms. "Talisman of Light!" Sasha easily blocked the attack and sent it flying back at Taomon. Taomon didn't have enough time to dodge the attack and was hit head on. Taomon crumpled to the ground. She had lost. She de-digivolved back into Renamon.

"I told you that you weren't good for anything," Sasha spat. She turned to Rika. "Now for the brat." Renamon looked up at her. _'Oh god NO!' _Sasha neared Rika. 

"NO!!" Renamon howled. She and Rika were enveloped in a bright light. When the brightness evaporated, Sakuyamon stood in Renamon's place. Sasha slowly turned to look at her. Sakuyamon opened her eyes and stared back at her tormentor. 

"Do you think I'm just 'anything more than a meal for some hungry Kuwagamon' now?" Sasha growled.

"I don't care what you are, YOU WILL SUFFER!" She lunged at Sakuyamon, but she stepped aside, driving the end of her staff into the Taomon's back. She stared down at the Taomon. 

"How does it feel to be the weak one now?" Sasha glared at her. She moved her staff and slowly began to walk away. 

"Where are you going?!"  
"I am leaving to suffer the same fate as I did." 

" I will never be defeated!" She started to get back up. Sakuymon turned back to her. 

"You dare defy me?" She snorted. "Fine." She raised her staff. "This is for ever innocent you have harmed!" She glared at the Taomon. "See you in hell. SPIRIT STRIKE!" The multi-coloured foxes charged towards the Taomon and hit her with precision accuracy. The Taomon dematerialized and Sakuyamon changed back into Rika and Renamon. Renamon dropped to her knees out of exhaustion.

"RENAMON!" Rika dropped to her side. Renamon smiled lightly.

"I'm ok," she whispered. Rika tossed her arms around her partner. 

"I'm so glad that you're all right, I thought I was going to loose you." Renamon smiled. "We really should be getting back." Renamon nodded and the pair slowly joined up with the others and headed back to the campsite.

***

Renamon sat quietly at the edge of the site, staring at the night sky. Rika walked up and sat down next to her.

"So what happens to your pack now?" she asked quietly. Renamon sighed. The group had wrenched her life's tale out of her earlier. 

"They'll probably find a new leader and keep going on about what they do," she replied. "They wanted me to be their leader, but I declined."

"Why?"

"I don't need them any more. They once were my source of strength, but I found a new one."

"What is it?"

"You." Rika smiled. "If it wasn't for you, I don't know where I'd be now."

"I don't know either, all I know is, I'd miss you if you weren't here." Renamon smiled. _'Who needs to be normal when I've got Rika instead?'_

***


End file.
